Malvern College and its prep school have been recognised in national education awards for their innovative approaches to education, pastoral care and the wider school community.
The recognition for Malvern College and The Downs Malvern comes as the prep school bucks national trends by welcoming 60 new pupils for the new academic year.
Malvern College has been named a winner at the 2026 School House Awards, while The Downs walked away with a Talk Education Award for Innovation in Education.
Malvern College was named Alumni Relationships Champion by School House. The award recognises the school’s approach to building a lifelong relationship between pupils and the school, with alumni regarded as an integral part of the College community.
Malvern’s ethos is ‘tomorrow’s role models shaped today’, and it was this approach that was singled out by judges. Through the school’s Role Models programme, alumni are highly visible across the campus. They are celebrated on noticeboards, meeting rooms and lamppost banners, as well as being referenced in lessons.
Alumni also support pupils through mentoring, careers advice, internships and inspirational talks, creating a powerful intergenerational network.
Keith Metcalfe, Headmaster at Malvern College, said: “Our Old Malvernians are as much a part of the school as our current students and staff. We encourage them to play an active role within the school long after they have left and we are delighted that many of them return to speak to our pupils about their careers beyond Malvern.”
Meanwhile, The Downs Malvern picked up the Pastoral Care and Wellbeing award in the 2026 Talk Education Awards for Innovation in Education. The award recognises schools that have introduced new initiatives to strengthen the support and wellbeing of their pupils.
One such development at The Downs is its ‘7 Skills to Thrive’ framework, which provides pupils with a shared language for personal development. The skills are collaboration, resilience, communication, motivation, creativity, curiosity, and reflection.
Talk Education said of the school: “Child first is the mantra here; a tweak to the curriculum, an adaptation to the uniform, an expansion of pupil voice – it’s all done with a view to benefitting the pupils who inhabit this charming, wholesome, friendly and energetic prep.”
The recognition comes at a particularly significant time for The Downs, which has welcomed more than 60 new pupils this academic year, taking its total pupil numbers, including Nursery, to more than 220.
The growth bucks a wider trend among prep schools, particularly across the region, and reflects the strength of the school’s appeal to families.
Andy Nuttall, Headmaster at the Downs, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised in this category as pastoral care and wellbeing should be central to every school that is welcoming pupils at the very start of their education.”
Together, the awards highlight the breadth of innovation across the Malvern College community, from the lifelong relationships developed with former pupils to the support and care provided to children at the beginning of their educational journey.
